Heir of Hogwarts
by Sannikex
Summary: In the half dusk before total darkness Harry Potter has to learn how to fight his worst fear and meet his past through a dead woman. War is approaching and who is to trust? But dark times wakes strange feelings...HG,DG,HrR
1. Default Chapter

Heir of Hogwarts

By

Sannikex

Prologue

You know who I am by my title. Jane Potter, Heir of Hogwarts, but who knows who I really am? Very few. I intend to tell you a pelicular story, the story about my life. Many have claimed it tragic. I must remind you the most part of my life has been delightful. I tell you because I hope that you will learn something from it. Maybe how important your friends are, how it feels to discover true love, have it and then loose it. I can tell, I can tell you things no now living human can tell you. And I only wish that you get what's important. I write this because there are too many speculations about what really happened in my lifetime and I write it to clarify certain things that have been twisted into unbelievable tales. I am to tell the truth and only the truth and then leave you to deem for yourself if you have the compassion to understand, the courage to not hide from truth and the ability to laugh together with me, cry, scream and bleed together with me. This is not a fiction, nor it is a biography. It is the truth.

_Jane Elizabeth Potter_

16th of March

1960

The cold wind was doing it's best to keep England in the winter's claws when it hunted the last listless snowdrifts over the brown last year grass. Some daring snowdrops huddled close to the wall of St: Mungo's hospital. The milky white skies made the dull waiting room even more colourless and the few people in it were all staring at some point at the wall.

The door was opened and a woman in lime green uniform stepped in.

"Twins, Mr. Potter." A man with dark blonde hair and chestnut brown eyes raised rapidly, his expensive robes swirling around him.

"What?" If his mother had heard him she would not have been pleased that he lost all his manners in front of _commoners_.

"Twins, Mr. Potter. Congratulations." The respected wizard just gaped and managed a bleak "Twins?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter, a boy and a girl, both very lovely. Now come with me..." The nurse said briskly and led the dumbfounded man with her down the corridor towards room number 25. The man she called Mr. Potter entered and faced a beautiful woman in the hospital bed.

"Harold!" She greeted him and smiled, showing all of her perfect teeth. Harold Potter seemed to get his power of speech back.

"Elizabeth, Merlin how you scared me! Two weeks early and with no one but the house elves home!" The woman with raven hair and blue eyes chided him gently,

"The house elves were very helpful and effective. Now why don't you come and look at our children?" Harold went over to his wife and suddenly the nurse was there again, shoving him down in a chair so he could hold both his babies at the same time.

When the bundles in his lap moved it hit him that he was the father of them, they depended on him. With a tender feeling rising in his chest he smiled at his wife.

"Now we can use both the names we settled for." Elizabeth only reached out for one of her babies and Harold carefully lifted one of them over.

He noted that it was his son since the tiny wrist had a blue ribbon tied around it.

"Welcome to the world James Harold Potter." His wife whispered softly and he followed her action by looking down on his daughter and whisper just as gently, "Welcome to the world Jane Elizabeth Potter."


	2. Chapter One

Heir of Hogwarts

By

Sannikex

Chapter One

A/N: Hello! This is the revised story of Twins that I'm writimg. But it is progressing to slow so I'm writing this now. I hope the chapters will be up faster. They probably will since this story won't be beta-ed. I hope you'll enjoy!  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything except for the things you don't recognize.

Snape swung the door of the potions classroom open and the chattering pupils went silent. At the far end of the damp dungeon, at the desk sat a girl.

When the door opened she turned her gray eyes towards the teacher and slid down from the table, making every boy in the room think about totally different things than potions. She made her way against the dumbstruck potions master and she dumbfounded the students by slapping Snape across his cheek. Hard. The girl then stood on her tiptoes and kissed the place where she had left a burning mark.

"For turning your back on me, then turning back," she whispered. She walked past the crowd of 7th year Gryffindors and Slytherins that parted to let her out.

"What are you waiting for? Sit down and prepare your things!" Snape barked and swept through the dungeon. All students hurriedly sat down except for one. Harry Potter was the first to utter the question everyone asked themselves.

"Who was the girl, Professor Snape?"

"No one who would want to date you, Potter. Now show me that Professor Dumbledore has not asked for you to be in this Advanced Potions class only because he has a soft spot for you. Sit!" With burning cheeks Harry sat down as the Slytherins snickered.

"I just couldn't keep my fat mouth shut, could I? I had to give Snape the chance to insult me," Harry exclaimed with a pink flush still lingering on his cheeks.

"We all wanted to ask him, mate. You just happened to be the first," Ron said.

" I wonder what he would have said if Malfoy asked..." Harry said.

"He would probably give him the girl's name, address, and diary," Ron answered

"Oh, let it go, Harry. Let's go out to the lake and do our homework since we don't have any DADA. I can't believe Professor Dumbledore didn't find a teacher..." Hermione said gesturing towards the high windows where the autumn sun shone in, painting patterns on the stone floor. Harry, who wasn't quite as fond of the tree by the lake now when he had seen his father and Snape there, nodded reluctantly.

Suddenly Ron called, "Last one to the tree is Filch's secret love!" and set off into a run. To Harry's surprise Hermione went after him. Hermione used to roll her eyes at Ron when he did things like this, before pulling out a book from her bag and walk slowly after them with her nose in it. Harry realized that if he didn't hurry he would be last to the tree. He broke into a run and for the moment the girl at Snape's lesson was totally forgotten.

Ginny glanced at her watch again. If he didn't come soon her friends would start to wonder where she had gone. There was a faint crack from the door and Ginny looked up to see when he came in.

As he put on the Silencing charm and the Locking charm with his back towards her she noticed how tall he had become over the summer. When he turned around Ginny had to catch her breath. He had still the same fine blonde hair, silver eyes, and impeccable clothing. But his features had sharpened: his high cheekbones that made Lavender Brown jealous stood out in bold relief, his chest had become broader, and the scrawniness had turned into a lean and well shaped body. Despite his height, he didn't move as awkwardly as her brothers had, but with a catlike grace. It annoyed Ginny. Couldn't there be any flaw on this boy's appearance? Did he have to perfect? It was inhuman. But all Malfoys looked that way; it was one of the privileges being born in the powerful family. Maybe it came naturally along with power.

She gathered herself and greeted him, "Malfoy. I've read about the attacks in the paper. How much is true?"

"Most of it. The Dark Lord started to send out raids almost immediately after he was discovered. Five muggles dead, three Aurors are imprisoned at Opacus, and Father is out."

"Out? But he was discovered at the Ministry!" Draco went over to the window and leaned against the wall. Without turning his head towards her he carried on.

"He bribed some people at Azkaban. Since the Dementors left there have been Aurors guarding. The judge wasn't hard to get out of the way. He's out." Ginny sat silent watching him stand there, the moonlight shining in through the leaded window painting a check pattern on his pale features. He looked like a king or knight in a fairy tale illustration. The angelic look that was the ideal for a hero or good saviour and far from the truth.

If there was something she had learned, it was that nothing is what it seems.

"He's going to be the next Minister of Magic."

"He can't be! There must be an election first."

Draco turned around and faced her, his eyes so cold that Ginny shuddered when she met them. With low voice he said, "Haven't I told you, Weasley, that there is _nothing _this man cannot do? Can't does not exist to him. It is just a pointless word."

"But...an election..." Ginny said as even more of the world she knew crumpled. She looked as she had done the first time she had happened to see the scars on his back from times when his father had been displeased with him.

"Do you think that he cannot manipulate the votes for his profit? I thought you weren't so naive anymore." Ginny just gave him a tired look and he went silent. "He has been disgustingly happy all summer. He decided to be kind and show me that he was proud of my spying on Potter through you. He taught me the Unforgivables." Too restless to be still, he started pacing as a caged animal. Suddenly driven by a feeling to tell everything from the sickening evening he began. "He called up a house elf, then he put the Imperious Curse on it. He made it break its own arms...then he took it off and it understood what it had done and screamed. So he killed it and laughed." The simplicity of his words made her understand what he had felt. He never talked about feelings but she had learned to interpret the almost invisible hints. He stopped pacing and looked up, his eyes totally blank.

"I have to teach them to you." Ginny felt as someone had kicked away her legs and she was falling, deeper and deeper into a black hole. Memories flashed by: the day Draco Malfoy had approached her, telling her that what his father had meant to do with the diary frighten her to join the Dark side, to become a spy. Then saying that the only chance she had to survive was obey. Or pretend to obey. That she had to pretend to be spying on her friends...

_"Why?" The blonde boy with the pointy face looked at the girl in front of him as if she was totally stupid._

_"Are you daft, Weasley? He needs an inside spy to watch Potter. I'm not close enough." The old pain came up again. The day when he had offered Potter his friendship that he had rejected. He had never gotten so beaten up before. _

_"_ You are worthless, Draco. You could not even befriend a Gryffindor fool. Potter chose a _Weasley_ over you. You do not deserve the name of Malfoy..._" his father's voice rung in his ears. That night when he lay in his bed, with hurt pride and body, he swore that one day he would beat Potter, beat him in anything and until then he would torture him where it hurt the most. His heart._

_He returned to the present._

_"But why me?" The redheaded girl said, clutching her books to her chest._

_"My Father thinks that you are the weakest link of Potters friends. I know he's wrong since I've been watching you. With training and time I think you've got what it takes." Neither of them noticed the unintentional compliment. _

_Ginny asked, "What does it take?"_

_"Your world."_

Ginny had not understood what he meant but she had learned that it was true. She had lost the illusions of a good world and people with hearts. How many times had she cried in front of Draco when he told her the last reports from his father? But today was not one of those times; she was stronger than that and she had to do what was best for the world.

She met his gaze and calmly asked him, "Where do we practice?"

"In a deserted classroom on third floor." Draco replied. For a moment he felt sorry because he had brought innocent Ginny Weasley into a complicated and cruel life. Because he had stolen her world. He recognized the feeling, it was the same sensation he had felt when Ginny had happened to see his scars...

_He had summoned her after a Gryffindor – Slytherin quidditch match, (Gryffindor won of course), to the Slytherin changing rooms. She had come in without knocking and found him shirtless. He had turned to ask her if she hadn't any manners at all but swallowed it when he met her shocked expression. Tears had risen in her brown eyes and with trembling voice she said, "He...he beats you." _

_Damn her, he didn't need any tears; he needed a sensible partner who he could work with. Not a pitying, scared girl who could hug him and tell him that _́everything would be alright́

_"No actually it's our house-elf who beats me when I've been a naughty boy." If it was not against the Malfoy rules he would roll his eyes. When her eyes remained downcast, he said so quietly it was almost not audible, "Hey, Weasley there are worse things than getting beaten up." Words can hurt so much more; the pain doesn't wear off. The wounds can't be seen but they never heal completely._

_Ginny did not understand how he could defend the awful man that didn't have any right to call himself a father. To her a father was not only the man that made you, but he was an important part of your life; a person to love and admire._

_When he had looked into her confused eyes, he understood why it made Weasleys so angry when you insulted their parents. For some unknown reason he wished that she could live the normal life she pretended to do..._

He straightened up and was about to say something when there was a knock on the door. Without giving himself time to think, he ran his hands through his hair and ruffled it, unbuttoned hi shirt at the neck, and opened the door looking irritated and cold. Outside stood Colin Creevey, whose friendly smile turned into a nervous scowl.

"What do you want, Creevey? I'm busy here." Colin stuttered something. Draco's expression turned from irritated to amused and he snidely asked, "You want to join me and Pansy? I thought you liked _boys_, Creevey?"

Colin's face became the same shade of red as Ginny's hair and he managed to stutter out, "Looking...Ginny Weasley..." Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Were you looking for a Weasley in the same room as I am currently in?" he asked as if Colin was incredibly slow.

"Didn't know you were here," Colin muttered still red in the face.

"Apparently. Now run off and play and leave me alone. Next time I won't be so kind." Colin fled and Draco closed the door and faced Ginny, who was shaking with silent laughter.

"What's so funny?" he asked, wonderingly. He had thought she would be angry because he had insulted her friend.

"Parkinson? You pretended you were snogging Parkinson!" Ginny knew what Draco thought about Pansy Parkinson, an ugly girl in the Slytherin house. He smirked as Ginny sobered and pretended as if that smirk did not affect her at all. She scolded herself in her mind. _'Get a grip! Just because he has gotten handsome over the summer, you don't need to become all air-headed. He's still the same, cold jerk as last year._

Draco walked over and sat down opposite her as they started to work on their letter to Dumbledore. They sent reports to him without signing them, charming the letters so no one could know whom they were from. He had no idea who the reports came from but they were valuable to him and the Order. Draco and Ginny had been one of his 'sources' for some years now. When they had finished the letter, they stayed for a while and discussed next step.

"You must have closer information!" Draco exclaimed as Ginny told him about the Trio during the summer.

"They always shut themselves in, Malfoy. They are a unity, a closed door with no keyhole. I can't get closer. I'm the 'little sister' to them!"

"Then show them that you're not," Draco said, looking as if it was something that did not concern him at all.

"How, Malfoy? How do I erase the picture of a little girl they see when they look at me?"

"Don't focus on all of them. Take Potter he's a boy that is not related to you and seduce him."

"I beg your pardon? Seduce him? He could bloody well be my brother!" Ginny shouted, very disturbed by the feeling that it would be a nice revenge on Harry after his ignorance of her crush in past years.

"Well, he isn't. Just become a little closer to him. Use his weak heart and hero complex."

"You make me sick!"

"Listen, Weasel. Do you think this is a game of some sort? This is not about what you or I want. This is a war and we have to use the advantages we have. If you can't do so, you're not suited for this." Ginny was fuming. If there was something she hated, it was when people said or implied that there was something she was not able to do because she was too small or too afraid.

"You can't get anyone better in Gryffindor to do it!"

"Then prove it, Weaslette." Still he had not raised his voice once. He rose graciously and went for the door. "I summon you in a bit, try to find out what Dumbledore does about the prisoners at Opacus."

Just as DA, they used galleons (which had been Ginny's idea). All Malfoy had said was, _'Aren't people going to be a bit suspicious when you walk around with _two_ galleons in your pocket?'_

_'Very funny Malfoy and very mature,' _she had answered him, adopting his lazy drawl.

He could never be totally content about anything. He was a hopeless perfectionist. Must be terrible to wake up every morning and feel that something was wrong.

Draco nodded at her and went out with the usual smirk in place. Ginny sat for a while in the deserted room where they usually met. A dusty place that did not seem to fill any certain purpose more than being a store for weird and broken objects. Some pulpits without legs stood in the corner and opposite her there was a sofa that looked like it once had been a guinea pig since it still sported fur and whiskers. The only light was the starlight that seeped through the leaded window.

Ginny shuddered. The shadows had deepened and the darkness had crept a far bit closer. It was not that she was afraid of the dark or anything. It just made her uncomfortable. She stood up and walked out of the door with a much heavier heart than when she had arrived.

A silence settled as the girl that had appeared in the 7th years' Potions class came through the double doors of the Great Hall. Rumours travelled fast at Hogwarts and there wasn't one student that had not heard about the girl who slapped Snape.

He, himself, was watching the girl with intent, unreadable eyes as she made her way towards the staff table, seemingly oblivious to all the eyes that were staring at her.

With her eyes fixed at the headmaster she came closer and leaned over the table to whisper something in his ear. He nodded and gestured towards the empty seat beside him. As the girl sat down, it was quiet enough to hear a pin fall.

Dumbledore held the excitement for some more seconds before he said, "Let's welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Sarah Trotter."


	3. Chapter Two

The Heir of Hogwarts

By

Sannikex

Chapter Two

A/N: Hello!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything! Except for Sarah Trotter and the plot...

An amazed silence prevailed as all eyes in the Great Hall were fixed on the girl who seemed to be about seventeen years old, sitting in the chair beside Professor Dumbledore as if she always had.

Some hesitating applause started but quickly died as everyone waited for some sort of explanation. When none came, the attention slowly was turned somewhere else and the eating began. The chatter grew louder and soon the sound level was back to normal, but three students at the Gryffindor table were still talking in hushed voices, sending sharp glances at the Staff table.

"I know I've seen her before! She reminds me of someone," Harry said, looking annoyed that he could not place where he had seen the very familiar face.

"Maybe she was a student here? And then changed school or something? Blimey, I wouldn't forget someone who looks like her," Ron replied, getting an angry look from Hermione.

"If she has, it's in the registration book of Hogwarts students. They have it in the Library; in the school section."

"Let's go then!" Harry said impatiently, wanting to know whom the young professor was.

Ron rose with a last longing glance at his plate. Harry felt a prickling feeling between his shoulder blades and turned around, his green eyes met a pair of whirling gray ones belonging to Sarah Trotter. Their gazes locked and Harry felt Ron elbow him in the side.

"I think Snape was wrong, maybe you have a chance after all!" Professor Trotter broke the eye contact and the Trio went for the doors. They didn't notice the redhead who came trailing behind them, which was exactly the point.

"No. She is not in any of the registration books from 1989-1992," Hermione said sighing. Harry looked disappointed; he _knew _who she was, but he couldn't figure it out.

"Cheer up, we have DADA tomorrow." Ron said checking his schedule.

"Let's go, then. I hope Professor Dumbledore knew what he was doing when he took someone so young..." Hermione said, worried.

"How does she know Snape? And what did she mean by turning his back on heŕ?"

"...I mean what if she is not capable of teaching? And..." Hermione's voice trailed off when the three friends disappeared behind the bookshelves.

Ginny stepped out from behind the shelf where she had eavesdropped on her friends. She sat down by the table and absently started to turn pages in the registration books.

There she was herself...what a hopeless picture! She knew that she wasn't very beautiful but honestly, was it that bad? The picture was four years old but she was aware of that not much had changed since then. Bright red hair, tattered robes, and no curves whatsoever. How could she possibly seduce Harry? Sure she had boyfriends, but with most of them it had been like being friends.

None of them had made her feel like girls in books did. No wobbly knees or fireworks when they had kissed.

She sighed and looked down at the large 1992 written in gold on the book. An idea popped out of nothing up in her head.

_'I think spying finally is starting to become natural to me,'_ she thought. It was all about being a step ahead to understand and a step behind to listen. Listen: she always had but it was hard for her to grasp what she was supposed to do.

For the moment she knew what she would do with the information she had. She would do a research on Sarah Trotter. She picked up a quill and some parchment and started to scribble down the facts.

Harry recognized Sarah; she was in her late teens, professor at Hogwarts, and she knew Snape in some way.

Dumbledore must have seen her about the job. That made Harry and Snape the keys, as they were the only ones who seemed to know anything about the girl. She didn't count Dumbledore since she knew from experience that it was harder to get information from him than teaching a dragon to talk. She opened the book of 1991 and found P, to discover that the only thing about Potter, Harry James was member of Hogwarts´. Everyone else had a picture and some personal information, but not Harry. Why?

She looked up and noticed that the library was empty. It had to be late...her eyelids started to feel heavy and her shoulders relaxed. Disconnected words flew through her brain; registration, Snape, key, Harry James Potter...She woke up.

James...of course! Now she remembered: Harry had once told her that his mother and father had registered him when he was only a baby. And Harry was born 1980, she thought, going to the group of shelves with the sign school section´ and found the book of 1980. She found P and there was a picture of baby Harry. She had to hold back an awww´, because it was stupid to sit in the library totally alone in the night and awww... over baby pictures.

She started to read and found nothing of interest...live in: Godric's Hollow...blah blah...parents: Lily Potter and James Potter...relatives: Aunt Jane Potter, grandparents Elizabeth and Harold Potter. Aunt Petunia Evans. Godfather: Sirius Black.

Funny... she didn't know that James had a sibling.

Well, that's not much help. That left Snape.

When she had started with the registration books she could carry on with them she thought and counted in her head. Snape would have started at Hogwarts around 1970 she thought and gathered 1969-1972's books. No Snape in 1969...or 1970...but in 1971 she found Snape, Severus. Born: 1960...parents...live in: Godric's Hollow. Snape had lived in the same town as Harry's family had, she noted.

Hadn't Snape and James Potter been in the same year? She finished the text about Snape when an idea hit her...If Snape and Professor Trotter knew each other where would they have met? At Hogwarts maybe?

The Trio had not thought about the possibility that the girl may not be seventeen, but Ginny had once encountered a boy she thought was seventeen who had turned out to be much older...

She turned pages and almost fell out of her chair in amazement that she had been right: two pages behind Snape, Severus was Trotter, Sarah printed, and nothing more.

_'It was too easy,'_ she thought in disappointment as she scanned the empty page for something that could give her more information.

_'Why did Harry recognize her?'_ She put away all the books and went for the doors. Surprised, she discovered that the doors were shut. That meant that the library was closed. Had Madam Pince missed to check the library for students as she always did? Not that she couldn't walk out, the doors weren't even locked, but it meant that it was after curfew. Now she had to be careful so she didn't run into Filch or the prefects.

She sneaked out and started the long way back to the Gryffindor Tower. Nearly half way there, she heard steps and quickly hid behind a statue of some not very famous wizard. The steps grew louder and Ginny held her breath, if the person... no... she could hear two pairs of steps... if the persons would turn the corner to her right there was no chance that she wouldn't get discovered. She prayed that they would go on down the hallway and not turn off.

A voice rang out and Ginny swore under her breath, it was no one else than the Slytherin prefect Pansy Parkinson accompanied by Draco Malfoy. Ginny peeked out from behind the rather unknown stone wizard and watched how Draco rapidly whipped his head around. She must have made some sound since he looked directly at her.

"What it is, Draco?" Pansy asked.

"Nothing, Parkinson. Why don't you go back to bed? I'll take care of the last corridor." Pansy looked surprised and then something seemed to strike her.

"Of course, Draco." She said flirtingly and walked away with violently swaying hips.

Ginny almost laughed at the blonde's disgusted face. Without turning around he said, "It has taken me two years to make Parkinson see that I find her obnoxious and now she thinks she has a chance again. Couldn't you have found a better place to hide´?"

"I would if there had been any better places," Ginny replied, stepping out completely from behind the statue. "I've been in the library. I found something weird." She said and started to explain how she had ended up behind a stone wizard in the middle of the night. Malfoy looked bored but he didn't interrupt.

"So Potter is interested in this new professor? Well, there must be something you can find about Sarah Trotter. It's impossible to start at Hogwarts and not getting documented at least once. And we're not going to tell father that Scarhead is infatuated with a teacher."  
"He's not in love with her! He's interested because she's familiar to him," Ginny defended her friend.

"Jealous, are you?"

"I've already told you, he could very well be my brother!"

"Yes, but you say it so often, maybe you're trying to convince yourself?"

Ginny just threw her hands in the air started to walk towards her common room again. Draco smirked; it was almost too easy to make Weasley become angry. He knew it was childish and immature, but he had to live his feelings out on someone. Potter and Co were not funny. He could drawl his old comments and it still made Weasel's ears red, Potter's eyes to start searching for a teacher and let his hand move towards his wand, and the Mudblood to jut her chin. He was so bloody tired of it all.

He wanted the war to end before it had even started. It was true that Draco was a Slytherin that liked to be mean and hated muggleborns, but Voldemort could go to hell. What sort of maniac wanted to destroy his likes?

Not many people knew that Lord Voldemort was a mudblood himself, but Draco had done a research on him years ago with help of all the dark books in Malfoy Manor.

Every paper in the huge, dark room that represented a library could easily fit into the restricted section here. And of course Weasley had helped him with some of the missing bits. She had, after all, faced the lunatic.

"Hey, Weasley!" he called after her retreating back. She turned and waited as he came after her. "Good job with Trotter. Think about what I said about not telling Father." Ginny looked absolutely dumbfounded.

Draco smirked; if he'd know it was so easy to shut her up he would do it more often.

"Thank you. And thanks for saving me from detention."

Draco turned on his heel and said, "No problem, Weaslette. And I didn't save you; 20 points from Gryffindor for being out after curfew." With that he left a fuming Ginny Weasley behind.

Uncontrollably she kicked the wall, angry with herself and with Malfoy. Angry because she had let her guard down and because he had used the advantage.

Typical Malfoy to play dirty. But she had herself to blame; she had known when she agreed to help him that he would me just as mean to her as always. Damn the Gryffindor heart she had.

Someone came and asked her to save the world and of course she couldn't resist, could she? No, she had to feel proud that he had chosen her and agreed putting away all objections with the thought that she was a Gryffindor she was brave enough.

But back then she couldn't have imagined what she had gotten into. She had been naive; she hadn't seen the lying as a burden but more something exciting, an own secret to guard. Now there was no one of those she loved whom she hadn't lied to and it was starting to wear on her.

She had lost her appetite and worriedly noticed that she was going skinnier. She had always been very thin but now she had to use the sixth hole in her belt instead of the third as she used to. No one had noticed since she always wore loose fitting clothes from her brothers.

The life she lived was obviously not good for her but she couldn't give up, partly because she had sworn that she would not, partly because she knew that what she did mean something to the world, and partly because Draco Malfoy was the only human on earth that could understand what she felt. Whether they wanted it or not there was an eternal bond tying them together.

She didn't like him at all but she didn't hate him. He had turned his back on his father and what he had been raised to believe. She actually respected him a lot for that. But he was still a git.

Seduce Potter, he had said, yeah, right _very_ likely he'd fall for her now when he didn't before.

But, a little irritating voice said, you didn't try before, did you? Wait a minute, was she actually thinking about seduce one of her friends?

She threw her hands in the air again and turned to once again try to reach her common room. Poor Ginny... she didn't know that this was only the _beginning_ of the obstacles she would meet.


	4. Chapter Three

The Gryffindor 6th years waited outside the classroom, excited to meet their new teacher. When the door opened, three students hurried past everyone else to sit in the front, eagerly picking up their books and, with hopeful faces, their wands. Not too long afterwards, the girl who the rumors said to be everything from Snape's secret lover to a student who hadn't got full marks, Sarah Trotter, entered. She sat down behind her desk and with a "Good morning." The class echoed with

"Good morning, Professor Trotter." She looked up. "You seem alert to be sixteen year olds in the first class of the day." Hermione raised her hand. "Yes?"

"Professor Umbridge wanted us to answer her that way, Professor Trotter." Sarah looked thoughtful

"Umbridge? Umbridge...as in Dolores Umbridge?" The class nodded. "You've had Toadface?"

Ron snickered at the mean, but very fitting, nickname. Hermione looked baffled that a teacher could express like that and the rest of the class looked taken aback.

"Well, maybe that was a bit off. Let's begin with the lesson. I am Sarah Trotter and I prefer to be called Sarah instead of Professor Trotter. This term will, thanks to me, probably be the hardest in your life since you are a very special class. This is the only class at Hogwarts where everyone was in D.A., therefore I will teach you things no other class at Hogwarts will learn." She put emphasis on the last part of the sentence and looked out over the room. "But what I tell you will not leave this room, is that understood?" Hesitantly they all nodded. "Good. I will teach how to meet your worst enemy: fear. To face it, you will _have_ to be brave, have faith in yourself and preferably be better at dueling than the opponent. To solve all these thing at once, I will teach you wandless magic."

A buzz went through the room and Ron said "But that's impossible!"

"No, it's not," Sarah replied and took out a wand from her robes. She let it rest in her palm and calmly watched as it rose in the air, spun around before slowly floating towards Ron and sailed down to rest on his desk. He struggled to close his mouth and Sarah held out her hand and the wand zoomed into it.

"Is there someone in here who does not believe that wandless magic exist?" No one answered and Hermione raised her hand once again. "Isn't it impossible to _learn_ how to do wandless magic?"

Sarah sighed and said "Like me? Yes. But you are able to learn a few spells; I will teach you Accio, Lumos and Expelliarmus. More is impossible."

"So you haven't learned how to do it?" Dean Thomas spoke up.

"No, I'm born with it. I've been able to this since I was three years old."

Hermione looked up sharply and said, "But then you have to be..." Sarah interrupted her.

"Let's get started." An hour and a half later the class was dismissed. And the students went out feeling rather hopeless. Sarah had made them sit the entire lesson wishing for light.

"Bloody lunatic she is," Ron commented as the trio collected their things.

"No she isn't," Hermione replied. "The base for wandless magic is the practiser's will for it to happen. Sarah is not doing anything different from us. She willed the wand to move after her wishes just as we are now wishing for light to appear."

"Still a waste of time. Nothing happened!"

"How can you expect something to happen? Wandless magic is the most complex magic, we're lucky if we'll see a little spark before our graduation." Ron huffed and Harry spoke up

"I think it was a good lesson. We sure need to learn this. Dumbledore wouldn't have told Sarah to teach us this if he didn't think we'd need it." His friends shut up and nodded at his point.

"Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley, will you please stay for a moment?" They turned and faced the young, beautiful teacher. Harry hadn't reflected over her appearance, more than it was so very familiar. Now he noticed that she was actually as breathtakingly pretty as all boys in the Gryffindor Tower had said last night.

She had dark grey eyes and long, blonde hair in a braid that reached beneath her back, high cheekbones and a cute expressive mouth. Her body was classically hourglass shaped and Harry understood why all his male classmates had been in time for her lesson. It was weird, but he didn't feel attracted to her beauty only drawn to her out of curiousness.

"Mr. Potter I have a task for you: I would like you start D.A. again. You have permission from Professor Dumbledore and are allowed to use the Room of Requirement again. There is only one thing I would like to ask for... I want you to teach the students wandless magic." Harry looked surprised; this was not what he had expected.

"Why?"

"There are more students in this school who needs to learn how to protect themselves and I believe that you have picked trustworthy people." Harry couldn't help feeling proud, but he had one last objection.

"But I don't know myself how to perform wandless magic. I can't possibly teach someone else."

"Therefore I ask you to let me assist you." Ron and Hermione were silently hoping that Harry would agree quickly; there was nothing that had cheered their friend up like a D.A. meeting.

"Alright," Harry said and eager plans were already forming in his head.

"Settled then! Now if could speak to Ms. Granger alone..." Harry and Ron left to wait for Hermione outside the door. Several minutes later, Hermione came out and the boys asked her what she and Sarah had been talking about.

"Oh, she had heard that I was a rather eager student and wondered if I'd like extra work." She hated to lie to her friends but a promise was a promise.

"And you didn't accept, did you?" Ron said looking as if he feared the answer.

"Of course I did!" Hermione exclaimed, looking annoyed. Harry watched his friend intently. Something was telling him that Hermione either wasn't telling the whole truth or lied.

The term carried on in a haze of homework, lessons, and, for some, D.A. meetings. It was early in November when Ginny came into her and Malfoy's meeting room and found him staring grimly out at the frosty grounds.

"What is it?" she asked as she cast the needed charms on the door.

"He has given the position of Minister of Magic to someone else. Voldemort needed him."  
"Who is it?" Ginny said and joined him by the window.

"Some weak Death Eater. Totally in the Dark Lord's leading strings." She sat down heavily.

"I couldn't find out anything out about what happened to the Aurors at Opacus..."  
"They're still there. The Order couldn't break the wards." He glanced at her; he had expected her to slump in her chair or sigh as she usually did but there was no reaction. She was totally still.

"Are we actually helping? Are we doing _anything_? We sit here and send your father's reports to Dumbledore but it is so _little_. The people who should do something, the Ministry, for example, aren't doing anything! They're frozen after realizing the Dark Lord is back. I feel so completely worthless." Draco watched the girl that even he had to acknowledge as very brave where she sat staring out in space with the same expressionless eyes he always wore.

"Do you think I would waste my time? Together with you Weasley?" She seemed to cheer up a bit and a slow smile grew in her face.

"No, of course not! What an absurd thought, Draco Malfoy wasting his time!"

"Are you making fun of me, Weasel?" he asked with narrowed eyes. In a very convincing imitation of himself, she leaned back in her chair and smirked.

"Yes," she drawled. Ginny enjoyed his sour face a bit before letting the act go and her eyes turn serious. Now she had gotten a little revenge on him for taking twenty points off from Gryffindor because of her. Okay, that wasn't it, but because he had made her feel so terribly stupid.

"Whom is he giving the job to?"

"Douglas Goyle. Gregory's uncle, whose just as dimwitted." He was now facing her and she moved a little bit nervous with having all of his attention turned on her. Was he expecting some sort of comment?

"Oh..." He waved his hand impatiently.

"What is it, Weasley? You're worried about something and it's not the Aurors." Now Ginny slumped and said uncomfortably: "Well, I...I have a feeling that Sarah Trotter knows something...She keeps looking weird at me in classes and at D.A. meetings..." Draco, of course, knew about D.A., he had last term, too, but he couldn't turn them in since Ginny was with them and an expelled partner was a bad partner so he had had to keep his mouth shut even if he itched to get Potter out of the school. And Ginny had taught him everything she learned. Draco had known most of it, but when he couldn't he did his best only to beat Harry. "I caught her yesterday at dinner staring at me..."  
"Maybe she has a crush on you?" Ginny knew that he was thinking hard behind the amused face of his. She knew that he took her seriously. "Have you told her anything?"

"Of course not!"

"Well, if you're able to do wandless magic the way she is, you can be sure that her talents do not stop there. There is a possibility that she can sense that you're lying. But know the whole truth...No." He looked thoughtful. Ginny couldn't help but watch him; he seldom wore any expression but his superior smirk. He was very much the mean prat he was said to be, but Ginny knew that he was growing more tired of his role by every day. Not that he wanted to be all kind and hand out candy, sending all his money to charity, or shake hands with people who were not pure-blooded, but he had matured far too much during the years to be an ignorant prat all the time. Secretly, she pitied him for the life he had led. But he didn't want her pity so she never said anything about it, just did her job and didn't whine. But some things that he had told her, made her physically ill. The secret dungeons beneath Malfoy Mansion where Lucius held prisoners, how he sometimes lifted the silencing charm so he could hear the prisoners who were more dead than alive beg for mercy, how Draco some nights had to go to sleep with their muffled, terrified screams penetrating through his door.

All the traps that surrounded the house that had killed so many innocent people who passed... She admired him greatly for every holiday return to that hell and be able to carry on. She would of course never tell him that, they were nothing more than strictly partners in work.

Draco looked up at Ginny and saw that she seemed lost in thought. He watched her and it hit him that he never had looked at her closely before. She had red hair that curled slightly, a small nose, and large brown eyes. Eyes that held all the warmth in the world. It was a special light in them, a fire that burned for those who needed it...He shook his head at the mushy thought and let his eyes wander and appreciative took in the beginning curves and his skilled eye saw that there was a very beautiful woman to come. Potter saw her as a little girl? What did he have his ugly glasses for? They sure needed adjustment if he saw this girl as little. What was all Gryffindors bloody problem anyway?

"You know I'm starting to think that Sarah Trotter is a taken name. I can't find her in any of the scrap books from the years she was here." Ginny awoke him from his reverie.

"Have you double checked?" She nodded.

"Yeah. I used a spell Hermione taught me. You tap your wand on the book and say what you want to find. I've said Sarah Trotter over so many books that Madame Pince thinks I'm mad."

"Well if it is a taken name it's not likely you'll find her." Ginny raised an eyebrow at the stupid comment. "Check them yourself, maybe the spell don't work on the books."  
"It does, I tried with another name but I'll check them out myself today." Draco nodded.

"Call on me as fast as you know anything." He didn't know why he said that; he didn't need to necessarily know anything about it fast.

"Okay." Then she went out. Draco stayed for a while and thought. He didn't know exactly what these meetings were to him he just knew that he was starting to enjoy Weasley's company. She had matured a lot since last year from the girl she had been who almost cried every time they got a new letter from his father. Now she was the partner he had believed she could be. It was not that he sought her company, but it felt rather good having someone who knew that it all was an act.

He rose and stepped out through the door as the usual Draco Malfoy who would never dream about even thinking what he just had.

Ginny sighed as she put out the well-known books on the table before her. The years printed in gold on the violet cover. Seven books, from 1971 to 1978. They were yearbooks, just as in muggle schools, but you didn't get one when you graduated, they were simply kept in the library, with only one copy a year. She sat down and swept her hair away from her eyes and picked up her wrinkled parchment from her earliest thoughts. She could just as well start from the beginning when Sarah Trotter was a taken name. But why is she in the registration book?

"Harry Potter is a key..." she begun to think aloud when the book in front of her opened (1975). She hadn't realized that her wand was lying upon the book. It opened on a blank page and as Ginny bent over it an invisible hand seemed to scribble. It said: _Seek word: __Harry Potter Matches: 2, for James Potter and Jane Potter._

Disappointed, she sunk back in her chair and thought of more seeking words. What featured Sarah Trotter? Wandless magic, long hair, Severus Snape, and Harry Potter. That was about all she knew about the young, mysterious professor. Tiredly, she lifted her wand and wondered if she could make the spell that found what you sought for, to extend the whole library...

"Wandless magic," she said with her wand lifted. All of the books in front of her opened and Ginny miserably thought that she must be the worst witch on Hogwarts. Not even able to do a simple seeking spell right. The book in front of her caught her attention. It was the volume of 1971. The name of Jane Potter appeared once _again._ Curious she said "Jane Potter picture!" She had read the name before; the first night in the library when she had went through the registration books. The book flipped through itself and stopped. Ginny almost forgot to breathe, in front of her a beautiful girl, so alike Sarah Trotter that it was ridiculous, sat on a bench. She fumbled after the call-galleon and warmed it in her hand, wiling it to type: _The Library. Now._

Draco felt the galleon in his pocket grow hot and nonchalantly picked it up. He was in the middle of a fight with Weasel, Mudblood and Scarface but playing with a galleon was a rather pleasant way of teasing Weasel. The words on the coin made him sober though and his brain worked with a way to walk away from the Golden Trio and still keep his pride. He said some sort of insult (he didn't hear it himself) and turned his back on them. They would never hit him in the back, they were true _Gryffindors_. With a smirk, he walked briskly towards the library.

Ginny stared at the girl in the book who was sitting somewhere outside on the grounds, reading. She obviously didn't know that she was being observed. She wore a light, summer dress and her hair was braided, but some strands had escaped their fate and was blowing in the breeze. Now and then the girl absently pushed them out of the way. Suddenly she rose and walked out of the picture. A tad jealous, Ginny noted how gracefully Jane Potter moved. She could never walk like that; it was a kind of walk that made people part to let the person pass. A sort of self-confidence and natural grace that made you step away. It was the kind of respect a fairy tale king earned. As Ginny sat there she heard a familiar voice, full of scorn.

"Isn't it the littlest Weasel?" Ginny answered easily and rose, discretely motioning for him to follow. He waited a minute before he walked after, pretending to check the shelves. He found her in a dark corner and she started to explain what she had found out. Then she opened the book and showed him the picture.

"Wait, did you say her name was Jane Potter?"

"Yes?"

"Jane Potter was the latest Heir..." He saw her blank face. "The Heir is a descendant of the four founders, they are only born in the Potter family and the latest one was Jane Potter. She must have been...Scarface's aunt. The Heir can do wandless magic." Ginny looked exited.

"So Sarah could be Jane?" she asked, eager to solve the mystery.

"No, Jane Potter died in a battle against the Dark Lord 1981... She was 21 years old then...that means she, if she had lived, would be 36 years old." Ginny's heart cried for the young woman who had died so early.

"Couldn't she have had a daughter? Who inherited her powers?"

"No, Heirs are very rare, in a thousand years there have only been five," Draco remarked, his brain working hard to find a solution.

"How do you know?" The question was only curious.

"Have you never read Hogwarts: A History?"

_ 'Was there _anyone_ except for Hermione who had read that?' _her brain yelled."Er...no."

Draco mumbled something about people who didn't know the slightest thing about where they spent seven years of their life. Ginny only rolled her eyes. "Maybe she's a memory?" Ginny had only told Draco briefly about the episode in her first year but he knew what she meant.

"No, the only possibilities are that someone uses Polyjuice Potion or..." He swallowed. "The Heirs got powers beyond our dreams...Or she is Jane Potter."

"Very good," a silky voice said. They spun around and faced Sarah Trotter.


	5. Chapter Four

Heir of Hogwarts

By

Sannikex

Chapter Four

A/N: Is there someone who would like to beat this story? It's posted at FA and they don't accept my works un-betaed and my beta just quit and left me with two chapters posted and not being able to update. So please if you have some spare time? Just tell me in a review and I'll contact you.

Disclaimer: Forgot it in the last chapter..I do not own anything besides my own characters and the plot.

"I didn't think anyone would find out so fast," the beautiful girl stated calmly. "If you would please follow me." It was not really a question and shooting each other a glance they followed the young professor. When they came out from the secluded section Sarah said loud enough for the closest people to hear, "Duelling in the library! I can't believe the nerve of you! Detention, now!" Ginny and Draco just gaped. Well, not on the outside but inwardly.

The blonde teacher led them out of the library and instead of taking left towards her office she turned right and down a corridor that ended close to the Owlery stairway. She stopped by a painting of the Four Founders that Ginny had admired many times for its perfect details. It was out on the Hogwarts grounds somewhere near the lake and the famous magicians stood together in the bright sunlight. Helga Hufflepuff was smiling kindly, Salazar Slytherin looked sullen, Rowena Ravenclaw had a shy smile playing at her lips and Godric Gryffindor was actually winking.

Sarah Trotter leaned in and whispered something to Salazar who looked up and watched Draco intently before nodding to the others and the painting swung open. Ginny was sure that not even Fred and George had found this passage. Sarah gestured for them to get in and cautiously they climbed in. After all they didn't know who she was. Ginny straightened up and gasped. She had expected to find a dark hallway or passage but she was standing in a huge...entrance hall. The floor was covered with a red carpet and in front of the dumbstruck students was a huge stair leading up to a balcony that went around the whole room. From the ceiling hung the largest chandelier even Draco Malfoy had seen. The walls were panelled with dark wood that gleamed in the soft light from the chandelier.

"The chandelier is positively vulgar but Rowena won't let me take it down..." Sarah's voice interrupted the "visitors" inspection. Ginny wondered briefly how you could call the beautiful piece of work vulgar before Sarah once again led them away. Underneath the staircase was a pair of double doors that opened by themselves and they entered an even more imposing room. In front of them was a huge hearth in what Draco decided must be obsidian, the mantle held up by two magnificent marble griffins. Two leaded windows with deep windowsills on each side of the hearth showed a pretty view of the Hogwarts grounds. A large sofa and two armchairs resided in the middle of the room that Draco now noticed was circular. The walls were a deep shade of violet and there was a lot of pictures everywhere. Before he could examine them more closely Sarah spoke again.

"Have a seat. Do you want some tea?" The familiar phrase about tea made Ginny snap back to reality.

"Yes, please." Draco just nodded and they sat down in the sofa. Ginny carefully as to not break it and Draco tense, he hated to not know where he had people. Sarah put down a tray on the table before them and sat down in one of the armchairs.

"So...are you Jane Potter?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," she nodded and carried on, "You are in the chambers of the Heir and I brought you because you confuse me." Draco shoot Ginny a warning look and said coldly, "Jane Potter died sixteen years ago." Ginny almost winced; she had a feeling that making this girl angry was a bad thing.

"No, she did not. And I should know."

"We have no proof whatsoever that you are the Heir. Why do we interest you?" Draco said in his usual drawl. Sarah just raised an eyebrow not seeming impressed at all by his cold demeanour. She stretched in her chair with catlike grace and said lazily, "You give out double signals. I can feel that you are in contact with Voldemort and with Headmaster Dumbledore." Silently sipping at her tea Ginny watched the two blondes, it was obviously some sort of power game going on and Ginny had a feeling that depending on who won the future would change.

None of the students answered and Sarah said, "Alright, you" she looked at Draco "who seems to know so much about Jane Potter, ask me something only she would know." The Slytherin gave her a piercing glare.

"Who was Jane Potter's first lover?"

"Lucius Malfoy." Ginny's cup hit the thick rug and tea stained it and Draco tried desperately to not look surprised. With a wave of her hand Sarah made the stain disappear, looking expectantly at the boy.

"What did her wand content?"  
"Nothing, it is hollow." Sarah reached inside a pocket in her robes and picked out a dark wand. Twirling it lazily she watched Draco as he tried to compose himself. _How very alike they are, he and Lucius, and still there is something that differs..._

"If you are Jane Potter then who died?" Ginny saw that behind the stone mask he was thinking furiously, trying to make the facts fit into a possible pattern. She herself did not have a clue of what was happening. She didn't know what the Heir was, or who Jane Potter had been or is or whatever. She knew that she should not trust this girl, that only the most powerful witches and wizards had hollow wands.

"A Death Eater. Now answer my question." Neither Draco nor Ginny answered. The blonde girl rose rapidly and hissed, "I have been honest to you and it's fine with me if you don't want to tell me yourselves what you hide. But nothing of what I've said in here leaves this room. Understood?" She turned to Ginny who tried to copy Draco's still face. "And one word to Harry..." Sarah pointed towards the door and watched them go.

Draco and Ginny didn't speak to each other; they had too much on their minds. With a look that clearly said "we'll talk about this later" they separated before reaching more crowded parts of the castle.

Harry woke up with a jolt. His scar was burning and he felt like he was going to throw up. The dreams were back. He didn't remember as much as he used to of this one. There had been Voldemort's high-pitched voice saying something..._You let her escape! She made it to Hogwarts you fool!_ And then a scream. Someone was punished. Harry could feel the Dark Lord's anger pulsating in his own blood and he rapidly swung his legs out of the bed. He didn't want those dreams anymore, they haunted him, made him feel things that was not his own. With fury still lingering on his mind he grabbed the Invisibility Cloak and the map, there was only one person who could help him to get rid of them.

Severus Snape quietly entered the potions dungeon and looked around. She was as usual waiting for him. He collected the items he needed and sat down opposite her in front of his desk. In silence they waited for the potion to wear off. Slowly the real shape of Jane Potter escaped its disguise. He almost cringed, he had seen her like this since the first night of the term but it still made him physically sick to see the wounds that wouldn't heal, that he couldn't heal, on her body, a body that meant more to him than his own. She was just like him older now than fifteen years ago but her hair was not shiny anymore, her face carried traces of fifteen years in torture. He had gone through the same only his torture had been his punishment for himself. It pained him endlessly that indirectly he had caused the bruises, cuts and scars on her once beautiful features.

"Stop it," her soft voice made him snap out of the reverie. "It's in the past, Severus. Let it go you've made up for it."

"No, Jane. There is nothing I can do to make up for what I did. I can only try." He got to work and his friend gritted her teeth when he preserved the open wounds.

"Young Malfoy and the youngest Weasley found out who I am today." Without looking up from his work the potions master asked, "Why did they find out at the same time?"  
"Because they were together." She answered simply.

"Why? Those two hate each other."

"I hoped you could answer that. I though things might have changed since I was here."

"No, what would have made those families change their minds?" The dark haired man questioned without asking for an answer. The woman just shrugged and relaxed as the pain from the healing charm wore off.

Harry took off the cloak before he stepped into the potions dungeon. He didn't think Snape would be there but his personal chambers had to be somewhere around. He looked up and froze. In front of him Snape sat opposite a woman who must have been incredibly beautiful once, now there was scars and bruises covering her face, arms and neck. Snape let go of the woman's hand as if she had burned him and she looked up. Harry met her grey eyes and felt his brain grow dull. He was staring at Sarah Trotter. A much older and different Sarah but still her.

"Sarah?"

"Yes and no. Severus, my potion, please. Harry go and get Ron and Hermione and bring them to the library. Then wait there until I come." She turned her attention to a vial in Snape's hand. It contented a sparkling turquoise potion that swirled and bubbled. She swallowed the whole content and in a minute the young and pretty Sarah Trotter stood before them.

"If you want an explanation, do as I say," she said gently and sent Snape a look. Something in her voice that reminded him of the past made Harry turn and walk out. He was extremely curious now and his brain worked on high speed to make some sense out of it all. It didn't work.

Ginny woke up with a jolt. Instinctively she knew that someone was in the room and her hand went for her wand on the nightstand. A shadow leaned over her and whispered.

"Come on!" Fumbling with her wand Ginny muttered, "Lumos!" The light illuminated Sarah Trotter's face and made her look scarily pale.

"Where to?" Ginny asked. It was best to seem composed she thought, as a loony teacher woke you up in the middle of the night.

"To my rooms and get Mr. Malfoy too. The Slytherin password is serpent. You will get your explanation but you have to hurry. For some reason Ginny believed the young teacher. There was something urging in her voice and the way she talked.

She stumbled up and looked around. Sarah was gone. Was she dreaming? Now wide-awake Ginny shrugged on a robe and decided to find out if it was a dream. But first she had to get Malfoy.

Ginny slipped into the Slytherin common room and after checking that no one was in there she curiously looked around. The ceiling was low and torches on the walls dimly lit up the rectangular room. Dark green armchairs stood by small circular tables and there was just one sofa. How Slytherin to not want to share a seat, Ginny thought and crept towards the corridor she thought led to the boys' dormitories. Something in the corner of her eye made her stop dead in her tracks. Someone was occupying the sofa. She turned carefully and almost laughed in relief. Draco Malfoy was sprawled across it peacefully sleeping. With a wicked smile playing at her lips she wondered if she would jump up and scream "Boo!" But she changed her mind; he had the rapid reflexes of a seeker and would probably hex her into oblivion before she knew it. So Ginny silently approached him and bent down over him. How calm he looked she reflected, like an angel. His soft hair fell across his forehead and his nice mouth was relaxed and not drawn to a smirk as usual. What in Merlin's name was she thinking? A bit more violently than she needed she shook him.

"Weasley?" He slurred, "What do you want?"  
"I've talked to Professor Trotter and she wanted us to come," Ginny said and let go of his muscular shoulders.

"And why didn't you just call?" He asked and rose, straightening his clothes.

"Er…" The truth was that she had totally forgot about their call galleon.

"Merlin!" Very red in the face Ginny followed him out of the room.

The golden Trio made their way towards the library Harry beneath the cloak and his two friends with their Prefect badges pinned on the robes they had put on to hide their nightclothes beside him. He had been lucky; Hermione had been in the common room reading since she couldn't sleep and Ron had, even if he whined a bit, left his bed.

They silently stopped in front of the familiar library doors. A noise as the sound when you ripped textile echoed through the hall.

"What was that?" Ron looked around and Harry drew his wand.

"Do you…_feel_ something?" Hermione said uneasy and glanced around.

"My toe's a bit numb," Ron said and Hermione smacked his arm.

"I'm serious!"

"Shh, listen!" Harry whispered and his friends shut up. Children's voices and running steps were coming closer.

"Guys," Ron started and Hermione and Harry hushed him. "Guys, we're not at Hogwarts anymore"

Draco and Ginny stopped in front of the painting they had climbed through earlier that day. Both had their wands prepared, they had heard a weird sound some minutes ago.

"Malfoy," Ginny said slowly, "Malfoy this is not that painting!"

"People move in paintings, Weasley. The founders just have walked around a bit."  
"This is not that painting," Ginny said stubbornly and Draco looked at it.

"Sweet mother of Morgana, you're right!" This picture was very alike but not the same. This was not a painting that hung in Hogwarts. Draco looked around and a cold feeling sank in his stomach.

"Weasley, this is not even Hogwarts."

Please review!


	6. Chapter Five

Heir of Hogwarts

By

Sannikex

Chapter Five

A/N: Okay, short chapter but I wanted to update because of the nice reviews (and thank Katie everybody it was she who nagged me into writing)! So, I had you confused? Good, here comes some explaining but it shouldn't be too clear in the end…Well, enjoy!

The light steps of children were now very close but none of the Trio noticed. They were staring around in disbelief. They were standing in a corridor very alike the one they had just been in but it still was very different. Daylight was seeping trough the tall windows. The owners of the steps, a boy and a girl who couldn't be more than four years were running straight towards them not seeming to notice the three teenagers standing in front of them. Ron called,

"Oy, kids! Hello!" But neither of the children stopped running and Ron who stubbornly stayed where he was almost fainted as the boy ran straight through him. Suddenly a voice was heard and the Trio immediately recognized it as Sarah Trotter's.

"They can't see you."

"What have you done? Where are we?" Harry called looking around for the owner of the voice.

"You won't be able to see me but I'm going to be here. You are at Potter Manor and I have transported you back in time. You are in 1964 it's Monday around ten o'clock and the two children were your father, Harry, and the girl was I."

"But you're not…Who are you?" Ron corrected himself.

"I am Jane Potter for about a week more in this time before becoming Magic and in three years I will become Sarah Trotter for some years and then back to Jane Potter. Quite fascinating actually."  
"Are we related?" Harry asked and the smiling voice sobered.

"I'm your aunt, Harry. James was my twin." As Harry didn't answer she continued, "I didn't know how to tell you! I couldn't pop up and say, 'Hello Harry I'm your aunt. I haven't been here for all your life but now I am. Wanna do some catching up?' I decided that the best way was letting you see my life so you would understand my choices." Harry felt his knees go weak. Someone had to be joking him. At Privet Drive when he had wished for a family he had had none. He started at Hogwarts and found his own family, Ron and Hermione. Then Remus had appeared and shortly after his godfather. Now Sarah was telling him that she was his aunt.

"I didn't see you in the mirror of Erised," Harry objected weakly.

"No, but you didn't wish to see your family. You wished to see your _dead _family," Sarah's voice said gently. "You have to believe me, Harry. I would have been there for you if I could!"

"She is your aunt, Harry," Hermione said suddenly. The two boys turned surprised towards her and Hermione blushed. "I figured it out at our first lesson. Jane didn't want me to tell anyone. I'm sorry, Harry, she made me swear!" Harry couldn't help thinking that it seemed like everyone always were keeping things from him. Couldn't someone trust him? His friends did...or? His fifth year had destroyed something, he couldn't really label it but something was missing. He gave his friend a smile, unaware of the tiredness of it and his friends' worried expressions.

"Follow the children...us," The voice of Sarah Trotter said and the Trio turned, slowly making their way after the two children. Harry was surprised over the lack of questions on his mind. He didn't really feel something at all about his new relative. Who knew, maybe it was for the best. He might loose his newfound aunt anyway.

"Where are we?" Ginny clutched her wand looking around cautiously.

"How could I know Weasley? I didn't do this," her blonde companion snapped, his senses roaming the hallway they were in. Ginny thought he resembled to a cat ready to fight, shoulders tight and head moving from side to side to catch clues of their current position. A voice without owner suddenly spoke, "You are at Potter Manor. It's 1964." A string of curse words escaped both Ginny and Draco.

"Why, the he..Why did you do that?" Draco changed his mind. The voice spoke of cultivation and it was probably best to not swear.

"I told you, you interest me. I want to see your reaction to my life." The realization dawned in both the student's faces at the same time. Draco spun around,

"Jane Potter!" He spat looking as the name tasted bad in his mouth.

"Don't fret. You'll be onlookers. I'll be around but not to be seen." The voice said cryptically and silence sunk in the hall.

"What is happening?" Ginny asked, loosening her grip on the wand but not putting it away.

"We've been transported back in time. Or more correctly to the past," the Slytherin said and leaned back towards the wall. The redhead furrowed her brow.

"Like a pensive?" A bit surprised that she knew something about such a rare and powerful magical object he nodded. Quietly they started to walk down the corridor, wands at the ready.

"Jane, you wont be able to hold the spell, you're too weak," the black-haired man told the woman from his place at the window where the cold and milky moonlight spilled in.

"I can and I will, Severus," the woman said calmly, her grey eyes directed towards the swirling images erupting from the tip of her wand. The man sighed, why couldn't she take reason?

"It is going to drain you. You could end up in coma or…worse," he finished lamely. He couldn't quite bring himself to spell the words. Not referring to her.

"I'm no three-year-old, Severus. I know the risks and I will have to take them."

"Why?"

"I can't afford to let the people who's going to finish the Second Great War to make the same mistakes as I did," the grey-eyed woman said, still not meeting the man's eyes.

"You risk that your nephew once again will stand alone in the world?"

"He has his own family. Besides I don't care what happens to me. The prophecy said that I would be there to stand opposite Voldemort in the end. I will not die or be unconscious by then. That's what matters," the woman said, a scaring coldness giving her eyes the colour of stone.

"So the end of this war depends on a prophecy made thousand years ago?" The man raised an eyebrow. It was foolish to not think it would be war. It would.

"So it does," the woman said and for the first time since they had entered the room she met his gaze.

A/N2: As I said, short. Next chapter will content: explanation about Jane's powers, a stern grandmother and mischief. Do review! As you can see the encourage me ;)


	7. Chapter Six

Heir of Hogwarts

By

Sannikex

A/N: Hello! There is some French in this chapter and I haven't had time to get someone to check it so it might be wrong but the things it's SUPPOSED to mean is at the bottom. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I love it :D

"James Harold! Jane Elizabeth!" A woman in her mid sixties stood in the huge Entrance Hall of Potter Manor, her expensive coat dripping and leaving puddles on the black and white checked floor, calling after running steps, her voice betraying her French extraction. Another woman, much younger with raven hair, gracefully entered the hall. Lady Elizabeth Potter.

"Ah, bonjour Ma..." Her voice trailed off as she saw the other woman's wet appearance. "Jane, James! Come back here immediately and apologize to Grandmeré!" The younger Lady Potter called after her children. She didn't look surprised, more tired.

"No!" A girl's voice answered. "We won't come back 'cause we don't want to hear about Mr. Podmore's pain in the stomach..." A boy's voice cut in,

"Or Mr. Bell's horrible tie at the garden party..."

"Or Mrs. Malfoy's snobby manners!" Elizabeth had to smile at her children but the older Lady Potter was not amused at all. She was a very stern lady and she refused to speak English, a language she found worthless. She understood it fully but never spoke it. She preferred French.

"Ce n'est pas bon comportement! Revenez ici immédiatement!" The Potter twins who spoke French as well as English knew that when their grandmother said 'it's not good behavior' it meant trouble. Whispers could be heard before the twins returned to the Entrance Hall, their black and blonde heads bent.

"Nous sommes désolés, Grandmeré," they said in unison. The woman nodded and carelessly dumped her coat on the tiny house-elf by her feet. Then she walked off towards the spring parlor. The twins made a face, it was teatime. Elizabeth just shook her head at her grimacing children before returning to the guest list of her summer ball.

Harold Potter leaned back in his chair, stretching. Finally the paper work was finished! Now he would be able to spend the weekend with his family. Elizabeth, Jane and James. His mother was out of the country (thank Merlin!) and he could do as he pleased without her breathing down his neck.

Contently his eyes wandered over the neat stacks of parchment covering his chestnut desk. Generations of Potter men had sat by this aged piece of furniture, working, dreaming or simply sitting. One day James would sit here and after him his son... It would go on forever. He liked the thought of forever. That something was strong enough to last forever.

"Harold!" The voice of his wife penetrated through the door. Swiftly he rose to join his wife in the next room, his wife's private parlor. It was exactly as Elizabeth wanted it and her very own place, a place to be alone for a minute.

As he entered he immediately understood that something was wrong. Elizabeth was standing by the window, her face pale, pointing at something outside. He looked over her shoulder and firstly he couldn't see anything unusual. James was chasing Jane on the lakeshore. He almost got her when she suddenly disappeared only to appear again a few yards away.

He felt his own face lose all colour. His knees gave out and he sank down on the chair placed by the window by Elizabeth so she could watch the twins.

"No... Not Jane, not my daughter…" His wife's slender hand was placed on his shoulder.

"You'll have to talk to her, Harold. And with James." This was something she was outside of. This was the Potter family's cross to bear, alone. With sad eyes she watched her husband walk out with heavy steps. She knew where he was going. She knew him so well by now. He was going to sit in his study by his desk staring at the Potter crest, silently raging against the injustices that followed his heritage. He wasn't the bravest man, her husband, but he did what he was expected to.

Some called him meek but she would like to see anyone who wouldn't be with that mother. She smiled as wave of fondness washed over her. Still in love after so many years…Fifteen it would be in two weeks. They had as many others met at Hogwarts, the shy Hufflepuff boy who turned out to be a Potter Lord, which meant he was one of the most powerful men in the wizard world. And she, a young and vivacious Ravenclaw, daughter of the influential department head of International Magical Cooperation at the Ministry of Magic, had fallen in love at the age of fifteen and hadn't left each other's side since.

Elizabeth sat down in the chair her husband had just abandoned and allowed herself the luxury of letting her shoulders slump.

"Oh, Jane sweetheart…"

"Ms. Jane and master James are here now, Master."

"Thank you, Bobby. Will you see them in."

"Of course master. Immediately, sir."

Harold turned towards the door as his children entered. Jane entered first with red cheeks, mud stains on her robes and her short blonde hair windblown. His chest contracted painfully. Why his daughter, of all children born in the family? His daughter who he had carried through all the children diseases, comforted after nightmares and scolded for committed pranks.

After her came her twin. James had pretty much the same shabby look as his sister. His usually unruly jet-black mop of hair (that one day would make his grandmother crazy) was even more tousled and wild than usual. His robes were torn at the knee and a big smile was playing at his lips as he chatted away with Jane. They stopped and James greeted his father.

"Hi, Dad. Bobby said that you wanted to speak with us?"

"Yes I do. Have a seat. James, what have you done to your robes?"

"Played. We can buy new ones." He clambered up the sofa and his sister took a seat beside him.

"True," Harold had to confess with a smile. But the reason for their wealth was sitting in the sofa munching at a pumpkin pastry, her short legs sticking straight out in front her as they weren't long enough to even remotely reach the floor.

"I brought you because I wanted to tell you a story...A true one about our family."

"It's not bed-time, is it?" Jane looked up with pleading eyes.

"No, it's not bed-time I just wanted to tell you..."

"All right then." His daughter contently returned her attention to the pumpkin pastry, as James seemed to be looking for a distraction in the room to save him from family history. The blue lounge didn't offer much help but a painting of a ship in storm lit his eyes up.

It was lucky for Harold that he knew just how to get their attention.

"Well, maybe I should wait, you could be to small for this..." The blonde and dark head turned towards him and almost in unison they reassured him that they were certainly not too small for any histories. Having their full focus he started again.

"You know the four founders of Hogwarts, yes? They were very special magicians with very strong powers. They wanted something most often called magic children, or by some, wand spawns. These children are not made as normal ones and", James interrupted,

"How are normal children made?"

"Er...That's not the point, James and don't interrupt. Well, there has to be a wizard and a witch, and very powerful ones at that, to accomplish the ancient rites creating a child take. The founders who didn't want children with each other, just heirs to inherit their powers and abilities managed to make two heirs, Raven Griffin and Serpent Badger. The heirs grew up and the founders had real children and everything went as planned until the sixteenth birthday of Raven and Serpent. They fell in love and against their 'parents' wishes they married in secret. They got a daughter named Lyvelynn Hogwarts. It wasn't until she grew older the founders realized that when Raven and Serpent's magical powers had mixed it created a new sort of magic, an almost uncontrollable one. That made Lyvelynn dangerous to her surroundings and she was locked up in a tower..."

"Like a fairy tale princess!" Jane exclaimed with huge eyes.

"Yes," he nodded and wondered why on earth his daughter looked delighted. "Then as a knight in shining armor one of your ancestors came along, Arthur Potter. He was a thief and a very greedy one, too. He didn't only want money but also honor and power. He kidnapped Lyvelynn so that he could marry her and let his bloodline get the powers of his wife. The founders were secretly quite happy with the arrangement since now they weren't responsible for Lyvelynn any longer so they made a bargain with our ancestor. His descendants would forevermore be rich, powerful and mighty if he married Lyvelynn. In return they wanted to use his family as a weapon of theirs and every time the world needed a hero an heir would be born. Tempted by the prospect of having great heroes with his name he agreed to the only hatch. His family had to marry purebloods. If a single one had a child of mixed blood the magic was broken. Still today we are bound by this oath and no Potter has ever married someone with mixed or magicless blood." He sighed. He cast a glance around the dark blue decorated room with its many windows. A careful son was shining, silently playing on the polished floor. His children's eyes were glued at him as they awaited the end. Now he came to the hard part.

"As I said, everytime a weapon was needed an heir would be born. It seems like one is going to be needed, there is an heir in our family." The twins were leaning forward so much they almost lost balance.

"Who is it?" James asked breathlessly and Harold braced himself.

"Jane, it's you."

"Me?" She squealed and clapped her hands. "But Jamie, what is he?"

The look on his son's face pained him almost as bad as his daughter's situation. When he himself had been a child he had wanted to be an heir more than anything but as he grew up he learned that being one was not some dance on roses. No, the roses had very sharp thorns...

"He's your brother." That sounded short in comparison to Jane's title, Heir of Hogwarts, aspirant of the Merlin Order first grade, servant of the Founders, Mistress over powers unknown and Lady of the Potters, may honor follow her.

Mistress over Powers unknown...The heirs were born for a cause, which basically meant that Jane would be needed for the survival of the wizardry world. A freezing hand of fear gripped his heart; most heirs didn't live to tell the tale of their twentieth birthday. His daughter would face dangers beyond his imagination and to his shame he felt that he didn't want to know exactly what.

"Being the heir, Jane is mostly a curse but also a blessing."

His daughter's eyes grew huge beneath the blonde fringe in her short boyish-cut hair.

To his honour James put away his jealousy when he saw his sister's obvious fear.

"I'm with you, Janie." The two small, dirty children's hands clasped and Harold closed his eyes. His children most often seemed to be one person. They looked at each other as a part of themselves instead of a sibling. They loved effortlessly and endlessly in a way that Harold knew was dangerous. Without the other they would grow mad. And now a difference to big to overlook coldly pointed out that they were not the same person.

"Geez, what a tale. And I thought mine about my grand-grand father fighting a load of German tourist who walked on his land was cool. Your family is wicked!" Ron exclaimed, still looking around in mild disbelief over his surroundings.

Hermione looked like she was thinking sharply, her brown eyes fastened on the twins on the sofa.

Harry just nodded. He had gotten yet another prospect of his father. As a four year old. He had been caring and cheerful.

"Professor Trotter?" He said hesitantly looking around wearily.

"Yes?" The cool and cultivated voice that was hard to associate with the little girl on the blue couch, answered.

"My father he…was he like this always?" Was it possible that Snape's memory was colored after how _he_ remembered James? A careful light of hope lit up inside him.

"Considerate and happy? No. You'll see as the story goes on but he became a good-for-nothing little prig. He was everyone's darling and got everything too easy. He was rich, he was funny, popular and very talented at a lot of things." Her serious voice seemed to start smiling as she continued. "But Lily wouldn't stand for it and neither would I so he had to capitulate in the end. Your father was a good man, Harry. He just didn't get so much time to prove it." Harry sighed and let his gaze wander from his father to the blonde man with sad, dark eyes who had to be his grandfather.

"Is that my grandfather?" If this actually was his family, Sarah, or Jane, was the only link to actually get to know where he came from, who he was. A person without a family lost a part of their personality.

"Yes, Harold Potter, Merlin bless his soul. He died before you were born and so did your grandmother, Elizabeth Potter, former Robillard. You know you can walk down the corridor and take right and you'll get to your rooms. It's going to take a while preparing the next memory."

"Our rooms?" Ron looked up the ceiling as if he was going to see the DADA professor looking down on him.

"Yes. You're going to be here quite some time. It's going to be the exact moment you left when you come back but time for us in the past passes differently than the present one. I guess you could have the Master bedroom, Harry, after all it's yours since I'm said to be dead, but you'd rather have something closer to Ron and Hermione, right?" Harry just nodded. This was getting weirder by the minute but he found himself liking the thought of seeing more of his father.

"Where did Potter Manor stand?" Hermione asked curiously as she opened her mouth for the first time.

"Did? It still stands and will stand until the last Potter dies, of course!"

"Are you saying that Harry owns a Manor?" Silence stretched out as no answer came. Then dangerously low Jane said,

"You mean that no one has told Harry that he is the _only living heir_ to Potter Manor and the Potter fortune?" Harry thought that the conversation was going on too much over his head and sounded more annoyed than he meant to.

"I don't own any manor and I have inherited money from my parents, yes."

"What name is your account in?" Getting a bit irritated over the talk about his money as Ron stood beside him he snapped.

"Mine." Something that sounded like a groan resounded in the hallway they were now standing in. For some reason the surroundings seemed to change as if they couldn't really decide if to stay a parlor or become a hallway.

"Yours. Harry that is your vault with the sum you would receive every birthday from your parents' accounts. And as you know you had time to experience _one _birthday with your parents. The money in James vault, in Lily's vault, in my vault, in the Potter vault is yours! Merde! I got to talk to the goblins. And, I forgot, this estate is yours too, including the house-elves and servants."

"Merlin's beard!" Ron exclaimed shaking his head sending violent red strands in his intently blue eyes.

"Mildly expressed, yes." Jane Potter's voice sounded vaguely amused.

"Oh no..." Draco looked down on the redhead who seemed to be devastated, her brown eyes fastened on the children on the couch.

"What, Weasley? Not a good enough fairy tale ending for you?"

"Shut it, Malfoy! Can't you see how that girl already now hates being the heir? It separates her from James..." Ginny still had her head turned so she didn't see the confused look the blonde gave her.

"No, I don't. What I see is that we suddenly jumped from the hallway and ended up in this parlor."  
"I thought you would like to see something happen." The voice of Jane Potter said, echoing a bit oddly.

"Well, I'd rather something I didn't know, Lady Potter." He drawled and Ginny's eyes shot to him as he addressed the voice with...respect? Draco Malfoy respected nothing and no one. He wasn't completely on any side in the war so he paid no respect to anyone.

"Really? Well, give it some time, young Malfoy, you are far too fast to judge." Instead of coming with some witty comeback the Slytherin just set his jaw.

Confused Ginny watched him as the scenery changed once again. She found herself in a bedroom four times bigger than her own with deep green walls and decorated in renaissance style.

"Your room is to the right, Ms. Weasley." In some weird way Ginny felt that Jane was not present any longer.

"What is all this with being polite and respectful all of sudden, Malfoy? You don't usually do anything _remotely_ as normal." He tugged impatiently at his tie, being very uncharacteristic, both showing signs of uneasiness and looking less than immaculate. Not that he didn't look good with his tie unknotted, far from, but he always looked as if he just had dressed. No, he looked, damn him for making her think about it, incredibly sexy.

"It's not your business." He said in a clipped tone before gaining his composure again and sauntering over to an armchair in front of the hearth, lazily sending and Incendio on the heap of pinewood. _Surely, for the scent..._ Ginny thought a bit disconnectedly.

"It is my business, Malfoy. Your business have been mine ever since you brought me into this masquerade." She plopped down in the other armchair.

Three silent hours later of watching his face illuminated by the warm firelight she rose and went into her room.

"This is not the end of discussion, Malfoy."

A/N: "Ah, bonjour Ma..." Elizabeth is about to say, Good morning Madame

"Ce n'est pas bon comportement! Revenez ici immédiatement!" That's not good behaviour! Come back here immediately!

So please excuse the horrid French and review!


	8. Chapter Seven

Heir of Hogwarts

By

Sannikex

A/N: Long time no see...hrm. Well, I'm here now and I'm working on a reproduction on this since it's awfully outdated after HBP. One day that story might see the light of day at I hope you've read my other works, there's lots of new stuff and enjoyed. Now I'll shut up. Almost, I don't own anything, I'm just playing with other people's stuff!

Rain was pounding harshly on the windows and the trees had to bow for a furious howling wind. The lake he could see was steel grey and the waves went high. The clouds were blue, almost black with a streak of violet as they loomed over the firmament.

It suited his mood perfectly. Ron and Hermione were bickering in the next room and he had left them alone to their fighting. All he wanted was some time to sort out what was happening. An aunt no one had ever mentioned had appeared in his life. And why hadn't anyone if she was so great and powerful?

"You'll just have to wait and see, Harry," came Jane's voice and he couldn't help but shudder, partly because the slightly echoing voice and partly because she seemed to have picked up what he was thinking about.

He rose from the windowsill where he had positioned himself. The loud voices from the other room had stopped and Harry guessed that either one of them had stomped off or they had solved the problem. He should get in and look over the damage. He really hated when they fought. It shut him out.

Without knocking, or even thinking about it, he walked in. And froze before rushing out again, feeling that he blushed. He didn't think his friends had been trying to bite each other, more likely had they been snogging each other's brains out.

He had always know that the day would come when his best friends finally would admit their feelings for each other and he had wished for it to happen. It was so obvious to everyone but themselves. Still he hadn't expected it to hurt. An era was over. The uncomplicated threesome friends relationship was broken. Now it was Ron and Hermione. And Harry.

"Harry, go out in the corridor." There was a certainty that you would obey that made it impossible to ignore a direct order from Jane Potter.

Listlessly he opened the door and almost stumbled back in surprise. He was looking out at the Diagon Alley. Not far away Ron and Hermione were looking out with similar looks of surprise. It stung a bit to see their entwined hands.

They seemed to have seen him as they started walking towards him. It looked really weird to see them walking through the people who gave no signs that two teenagers just had passed through them.

"Can you see Jane?" Ron asked, the tips of his ears slightly pink as his friend took in the state of Hermione's hair that recently had been in a neat bun.

"No", Harry answered and discreetly turned his attention away from Hermione's hair.

"There she is!" Hermione called and pointed across the street where the Potter family was walking. Everyone parted at the sight of the family and greeted them respectfully. Harold answered lightly with his arm around Elizabeth who smiled warmly. There was no doubt that the Potters were highly respected; everybody seemed to have something to say them. The twins who were running around their parents with thousand things to do in exploring the new people and surroundings surprised the Trio by when spoken to, reply precociously polite.

But something was wrong. You could see it in Elizabeth's eyes and Harold's forced smile. Ron nudged his side.

"There are more people in your family who are first page news", he said quietly and Harry turned his head. One door down the street the Daily Prophet's placards was covering the shop windows in Flourish and Blott's. _Jane Potter is the Heir! _

The trio walked closer and could now hear the conversations around them. Harry shuddered uneasily. They were hearing conversations that had taken place thirty-three years ago.

Before they made it to the bookshop Hermione called, "Look!" and pointed towards the place where the twins just had been. Now it was only James who was pressing his nose against the shop window to Quality Quidditch Supplies. No blonde girl was around.

Elizabeth seemed to have noticed as well and gripped Harold's arm. Even from this distance they could see her lips forming the words, Harold, Jane!

The surroundings blurred and they found themselves in a magnificent room. The high ceiling and many windows gave the impression of being in a hall but the hearth that Harry didn't doubt he could stand in with his arms outstretched without touching the walls of it, had a roaring fire in it and the thick carpets that covered the floor gave a homey feeling to it. Paintings on the walls and curtains in the windows heightened the comfort and the armchairs seemed to invite you to sink down in them.

"Sit down", Jane's voice commanded. The Trio did as they were told and picked a chair each. They actually were as comfortable as they looked. A chair appeared, facing theirs and a foggy outline of a human vacated it. Slowly the ghostly shape materialized and Jane leaned back in the chair. A little and totally female pang of jealousy hit Hermione. She could never slouch in a chair with _grace_.

"As you just saw, I was kidnapped at the age of four." They all nodded and Jane continued, "But the two kidnappers didn't know anything about the Heir's powers and the ugly side of me frightened them", Ron interrupted,

"_You_ have an _ugly_ side?" and Hermione sent him a dirty look and said a tad shrilly,

"Yes. The Heirs can't lose control of their feelings; their powers break havoc. They have to control their emotions as well as their magical abilities. They can be dangerous for their surroundings and themselves." Jane smirked,

"Very good, ten points to Gryffindor." Hermione blushed. If it was because of Jane's irony or her praise she couldn't decide. "As I said the kidnappers got scared and tried to obliviate me. But they were not more than mediocre wizards and the spell hit wrong." The gray eyes got lost in space and a small motion of her hand made a square appear between them. Like on a TV screen they saw two men Apparating away from a dark slum. On the ground a small bundle was curled up. They could make out young Jane's blue cloak in the dusk. "They left me there and when I woke up I couldn't remember who I was, where I was or what had happened to me. I could not recall anything from the life I had led until that point. I knew something was missing, that something was wrong but I didn't know what it was. Upon taking my life from me the kidnappers had managed to hex away my ability to talk and left me in the Muggle world. I had no chance to contact my world even if I would have remembered it." The girl on the screen had woken up and was staggering forward. Slowly she progressed and made it out of the slum. The perspective changed and a boy in shabby school uniform came into sight. He was leaning against a wall, his observant eyes following the bustling people on the pavement.

"That's Boo." They saw how the girl walked past the boy, her eyes empty. He bent down and grabbed young Jane's shoulder.

The girl looked definitely lost. Since he knew that feeling himself he bent down and touched the girl's blue clad shoulder. He was completely unprepared for the murderous look the pair of gray eyes sent him from beneath the blonde fringe. But after he the first surprise had faded, God, he had never known that girls reaching to your waist could look ready to kill, he saw the fear that shone deep within the thunder gray depths. Maybe it was because he could feel the warmth of her body through the cape she wore or maybe it was the fear in her eyes that woke memories of a young boy with bruises and the same fear shining in his eyes that made him say, "If you've lost your parents you could come with me. But only if you are ready to work for a home and if you're good at 'working'. Do you understand?" The girl nodded and a cold little hand gripped his trustingly. _Braid won't like it_..._But we need some fresh blood in the family, Braid knows that. Oh, what the heck_! "I could show you what working is before you decide." He swallowed, she couldn't be older than five and he was already introducing her..."Watch closely!" He let go of her hand and started walking down the street. He picked out a yellow raincoat accompanied by a long beard that someone had dyed red very badly. As always when he had picked a goal his heart beat faster and with every step he went through the golden rules. Don't cause attention, don't cause attention, and don't cause attention. He quickened his pace and went past the raincoat man.

An 'excuse me' and a look backwards at the unsuspecting man he declared mission accomplished. He let the man's wallet slide down in his backpack and returned to the little girl.

"Did you see it?" he asked with a smirk. He doubted it, he was one of the best. Slowly she nodded. "Did you see that I took his wallet?" She nodded again. Was he getting slow?

"Alright, you saw it. But it's not as easy as it looks!" He was a bit miffed that she hadn't been all wondering, worshipping eyes. Boo's weak spot had always been girls.

The blonde girl just looked blank. "Well, do it yourself then!" A second after the words had left his mouth he regretted them. If she just grabbed someone's wallet...he shuddered as police officer Cane appeared in his mind. But it was too late; the girl was already out on the crowded street. During the following minutes Boo's chin dropped further and further and when the little girl returned and handed him a well-filled wallet.

It had taken him years to master the art of pickpocketing and this girl who coulldn't have experienced her sixth birthday had already outnumbered what he earned in a week. She seemed to have an intuitional feeling for whose wallet was the thickest and easily collected them without qualms. Boo couldn't believe his luck. At this rate he might get Braid to buy him new shoes.

"Come on let's go home. We have more than enough, Braid is so going to welcome you!" And she might even thank him for the treasure he'd found...

A boring warehouse with covered windows appeared on the 'screen' and Boo knocked a on the door in a long series with different intervals. A girl with dark brown hair in a braid that reached her thighs opened and Boo jumped in and spun her around.

"Braid, she's fabulous! I've found a girl today and she...I don't know it's like magic!" The girl called Braid got a sour line around her mouth and her hands settled on her hips.

"Really."

"Yes, look what we got today!" Triumphantly he held out a bundle of notes in different currents. Braid's eyes widened and she took the bundle.

"Oh!" She could buy food for a whole week for this, and May needed a new skirt and Boo's shoes had been beyond repair long ago.

"Meet Magic, Braid", Boo said proudly and pushed little Jane Potter in front of the older girl. There was no doubt of what was going on in Braid's head. On one hand this little girl could be their foremost source of income and see to that her gang wouldn't freeze and be hungry. On the other hand was that this source of income was about five years old. Boo didn't see that, he saw the money the girl could get them but Braid knew that somewhere this girl had a mother, living or dead and she wasn't sure she wanted to be responsible for that mother's daughter becoming a criminal. Still...her gang couldn't live on air only.

"Alright, she can stay."

"A criminal at the age of five. As you understand it was of course magic that helped me, that's after all how magic works, under your will, just like you can wish to lift an arm or take a step. My magic is just more developed. That's why I easily plundered people's pockets for four years after this moment we just watched. Then we had some bad luck and the social workers finally got us. We were all split up, Boo ended up in Dublin of all places, and I found myself at Pearson's Orphanage which I guess was alright for being an orphanage. It was by no means any Dickens hellhole but I hated it. I was always missing something and I couldn't place my finger on what it was. Of course it was my family and especially James. We had a very special bond and it was making itself known even if the two kidnappers had hexed away my memory of James. Well, life went on and then one day the orphanage got new neighbours in the large house not far away. It was a family who had moved out of town, they needed space and country life. I didn't know exactly why they moved but I got to know the reason personally. The family's name was Lupin."

A/N: So what did you think?


End file.
